


Family Ties

by StBridget



Series: The Spies and the Baby [2]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Wedding Planning, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-23
Updated: 2018-05-20
Packaged: 2019-04-26 22:52:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14412240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StBridget/pseuds/StBridget
Summary: Now that they've decided to adopt Kelly, it's time for Mac and Jack to get married.





	1. The Failure

**Author's Note:**

> MacGyver is property of CBS and its creators.
> 
> Sorry for the delay in writing this--I got stuck on how to start, then, when I did start, it wasn't anything like I'd imagined. Plus, the chapter got out of hand and went its own direction. Which is all to say I have no idea what's going to pop out next--we'll have to find out together. :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack's first attempt at a proposal.

“There.”  Riley hit the enter key to finalize the document she was working on.  “Congratulations, Mac.  You are now the proud biological father of one Kelly MacGyver, mother died in childbirth.”

“Pretty cool, Riles,” Mac said from where he was standing next to her.

“Yeah,” Jack said from Riley’s other side.  He bounced Kelly on his hip.  “Hear that, darlin’?  Now you don’t ever have to worry about that sorry son of a—“ he caught Mac’s eye and hastily corrected himself—“bastard James Burns again.”

“I can’t wait to see what happens when you catch up with him,” Riley said.

“I can only imagine,” Mac said, drily.

“It won’t be pretty, I can tell you that,” Jack said.  “He’ll be lucky if I don’t shoot his balls off.”  Mac shot him a glare.  “Sorry, language, I know.”  He addressed Kelly again.  “You’ll forgive Daddy Jack, won’t you, sweetheart?”  Kelly grabbed at his nose in response.  He laughed.  “Of course you will.”

Riley grabbed the certificate off the printer.  “We just need to certify this, and you’ll be good to go.”

“Forge it, you mean,” Mac said in the same dry tone.

Riley shrugged.  “Whatever.  No one will be able to tell the difference.”

Jack clapped her on the shoulder.  “Good job, Riles.  You’re brilliant, as always.”

“Yeah,” Mac said.  “Now, as soon as Matty comes through with the adoption papers for Jack, we’re all set.”

“There is one more thing,” Jack said.

“What’s that?” Mac wanted to know.

“We have to get married,” Jack replied.  Mac sent him a gobsmacked look.  “Well, we don’t have to, but Matty said it would look better if we wanted to adopt.  Which we do.  Want to adopt, I mean.”  Jack stopped, aware he was rambling.  It was just that he was nervous.  He’d never done this before.

“Aren’t we just going to forge those papers, too?” Riley asked, puzzled.

“Matty thought it would look better if it were legit,” Jack explained.  “She’s pulling the strings to get us approved and fast-track it, but she wants it to be aboveboard.”

“So, we have to get married,” Mac said flatly.

Jack was taken about by Mac’s unenthused reaction.  Jack was trying to propose.  It wasn’t like he hadn’t brought it up before, when he was advocating for keeping Kelly.  Shouldn’t Mac be more excited?  “Well, yeah.  Don’t you want to?”

“Jack, if that’s a proposal, that’s the least romantic one I’ve ever heard,” Riley said.

“I’ll say,” Mac said.  “And I’m not marrying you just because it’ll look good on the adoption application.”

This was not going the way Jack hoped.  “Of course not,” he said.  “I _want_ to marry you.  I’ve been thinking about it even before we got Kelly.”

“First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Jack with a baby carriage,” Riley sing-songed.

Once again, Mac ignored her.  “Sure doesn’t sound like it.”

Jack was exasperated.  “What do I have to do to prove it to you?”

“A ring would be nice, for a start,” Mac said.  Jack look abashed.  “You don’t have one,” Mac concluded.

“I’ll get one, I promise,” Jack said. 

“You do that,” Mac said.  “Then ask again when you’re ready to do it right.”

Kelly started to fuss.  “Look, you upset her,” Jack said.

“I think you’re the one doing the upsetting,” Mac shot back, “and Kelly’s not the only one.”  He brushed past Jack and left the room.

Jack just stared after him.  What just happened?  What did he do to piss Mac off (sorry, annoy Mac, he corrected mentally)?  “What did I do wrong?” Jack asked aloud.

The question wasn’t really addressed to her, but Riley answered anyway.  “I don’t even know where to start,” she said.

Jack turned towards her, a devastated look on his face.  “I have to fix this.”

“Yes, you do,” Riley agreed.

Jack was at a loss.  “Where do I do?” he asked.

“You could start with a ring,” Riley suggested, “and a more romantic setting.”

Jack was clueless as to how to do that.  “You have to help me, Riles,” Jack pleaded.  “I’m no good at this romance thing.”

“Obviously,” Riley said.  “What makes you think I am?”

“You’ve got to be better than me,” Jack pointed out.

“Good point,” Riley conceded.  She thought a minute.  “Okay, here’s what you do. . .” She outlined her plan.  Jack soaked it all up.

“Okay, I can do that,” he said when she’d finished.  “You’ll help me, right?”

“Of course,” Riley assured him.  “Someone has to make sure you don’t screw this up.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Jack said, sarcastically.

Riley patted him on the arm.  “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll do fine.”

Jack wasn’t reassured.  “Promise?”

“Absolutely,” Riley said.  “Just do what I say, and nothing can go wrong.”

Jack really hoped she was right.


	2. The Ring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack goes ring shopping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got most of the way through this and realized I hadn't included Kelly. I thought about scrapping the whole think and starting over, but I liked what I had. So, you get the bit at the bottom. I think it's adorable. Hope you do, too!

Jack made his way back to the desk he used when he was actually in the office and not on a mission.  Theoretically, its primary purpose was to provide a place to write reports, but Jack was lousy about that, as Matty would be the first to point out.  He absolutely hated writing reports, so he tended to spend most of his time procrastinating, or, in this case, planning Operation Propose to Mac.  He was a military man, okay?  Everything was an operation to him.  So sue him.

Jack sat down at his desk and booted up his computer.  He opened the notepad and made a list of everything Riley had told him to do.  After he was done, he looked the list over.  Where to start?  Well, he might as well start at the top:  ring.  Problem was, Jack had no idea how to go about finding an engagement ring for a guy (or a girl, for that matter.  Let’s face it; he’d never been that serious about anyone until Mac).  So, Jack did what he always did when he needed help:  he asked.

Unfortunately, his friends were less than helpful.  He asked Riley first.

Riley held up her hands, waggled her fingers, and bared her neck, all absent of any jewelry.  “Do I look like I know anything about jewelry?” she asked.

“But you’re a girl,” Jack said, as though that explained everything.

Riley dropped her arms.  “And that automatically means I know about jewelry?  Really, Jack?  Sexist much?”

So much for that feminine touch.

He asked Bozer next. 

“Sorry, Jack, I know nothing about jewelry,” Bozer said.

“Do you at least know what Mac would like?” Jack asked, slightly desperate.  “You’re his best friend.”

“Nope, sorry.  Never seen him wearing any rings.  Or anything except his father’s watch, really,” Bozer said.

Jack sighed.  “Thanks anyway, Boze.”

Bozer brightened.  “I could help you look.  That would be so cool!  We could pick out something together!  I’m sure we could find something Mac will like!  Doesn’t that sound like fun?”

No, that most certainly did not sound like fun; in fact, the prospect was downright horrifying.  Jack suppressed a shudder—it wouldn’t do to let the other man see.  “I appreciate it, Boze, but this is something I need to do alone,” Jack said, hastily.

Bozer clapped Jack on the arm.  “Okay, man, I understand.  Good luck.”

“Thanks, I’m going to need it,” Jack said, miserably.

Jack was so desperate he asked Matty as a last resort.  Jack wasn’t really surprised when that was a total disaster.

“How should I know what kind of engagement ring Mac wants?” she demanded.  “And what are you doing shopping for rings on company time?  Don’t you have a report to write?”

Properly chastised, Jack slunk back to his office.  He plopped down in his seat and sighed.  So much for asking his friends.  Now, he really didn’t know what to do.

Jack wasn’t sure how long he’d been sitting there moping when Riley came by.  “How’s it going, Jack?” she asked.

“Awful,” Jack said.  “I have no idea what kind of ring to get Mac.”

Riley settled in the other chair in the room.  “You know, you could just ask him.”

“I would, but I don’t think that would go over well,” Jack said.  “I’m already in the doghouse for not doing this right.”

“Good point,” Riley said.  She mulled it over for a while.  “Why don’t you go look at a jewelry store?  Maybe that will give you some idea.”

Jack perked up at that.  “Good idea.  I don’t suppose you know a good one?”

“Sorry.  Try the yellow pages,” she said.

“Okay, thanks.”

Riley got up to leave.  “I’ll leave you to it.”

Jack waved absently as she left, already typing into yellowpages.com.  He stared in dismay at the results.  Over 2,000.  How was he ever supposed to pick just one?  Maybe he could just pick the nearest one.  Jack pulled out his phone and pulled up the GPS.  He looked up nearby jewelers.  There were still quite a few, but at least it was manageable.  He picked one that looked good and headed out.  Matty would kill him if she found out, but reports be damned; this was more important.

Jack strolled into the jewelers with his most confident air.  That lasted until he got five feet into the door.  Jack stopped, dismayed.  Damn, this place was swanky.  Sparkling diamonds lay draped on velvet pillows in locked display cases.  Rich carpet lay on the floors.  Elegant, carved wood chairs were strategically placed for looking at pieces.  The clerk was even dressed in a three-piece suit and tie.  Jack felt very out of place in his t-shirt and jeans.

“Can I help you?” the clerk asked, haughtily.  Jack swore the man was looking down his nose at him.

“Uh, yeah.  I’m looking for an engagement ring?”  Jack meant to sound confident but failed miserably.

“And what do you think she might like?” the clerk asked in the same haughty tone.

“I’m really not sure,” Jack confessed.  “And it’s a he.”

“I see.”  The clerk’s voice dripped disapproval, but he carried on, always after a sale.  Jack suspected the guy was willing to put aside his prejudices for the sake of a commission.  “Well, what price range were you looking at?”

Jack felt like a fish out of water.  He didn’t know the answer to any of these questions.  He probably should have done his homework, but this _was_ his homework, dammit.  He was supposed to get ideas, not the third degree.  “What are the prices?”

The clerk unlocked one of the displays and took out a tray of plain bands.  “Well, these start at about a thousand, and our more elaborate ones will run up to ten or twenty thousand.”

Jack was flabbergasted.  “A thousand?  For _that_?”

“I assure you, our bands are the finest quality gold and platinum.  Well worth the price.”  There was no crack in the saleman’s well-polished veneer.

Jack loved Mac, but there was no way he was paying a thousand bucks for some plain ring he could probably find for a couple of hundred elsewhere.  Besides, he wanted something more for Mac.  Clearly, Jack would have to look elsewhere.  With a mumbled “thanks” to the clerk, Jack beat a hasty retreat.

That brought Jack back to square one, again.  He sought out Riley for further guidance—she may not be an expert, but she’d more than proved she knew a lot more than Jack.

Jack found the hacker in the lab with Bozer, working on programming the robot.

“Hey, how’d it go?” she greeted him.

Jack spun a chair around and dropped into it backwards, bracing his arms on the back.  “Lousy.  I’m way out of my league, here.”

“What about that place that’s always advertising on TV?” Bozer suggest.  “You know, ‘every kiss begins with k’.”

Jack groaned.  “There’s no way I’m setting foot in another jewelry store.  Once was enough.  I think I’m scarred for life.”

“I bet you can shop online.”  Riley rolled over to Bozer’s computer and typed “men’s engagement rings” into Google.  The first link that popped up was Kay’s Jewelers.  Riley brought up their selection.  “There, see?”

Jack glanced at it.  “I don’t see anything I like, and they’re still too expensive.  Who wants to pay that much for a ring?”

“Hey, are you saying my best bro isn’t worth it?” Bozer demanded.

Jack sighed.  “No, it’s just. . .shouldn’t I be able to get what I want at a price that’s not highway robbery?”

“What do you want?” Riley asked, reasonably.

“I have no idea,” Jack confessed.  “Just none of those.”

“Would looking at pictures help?” Riley asked.

“Maybe,” Jack said, but he was doubtful. 

Riley changed her search to “men’s engagement ring pictures”.  She brought up a dizzying array.  “Okay, so what do you like?”

“Oh, my god,” Jack said, taken about by all the choices.  “That’s even worse.  Who knew there were so many options?”  Who knew shopping for a ring would be so hard?

“Okay, maybe we can limit it,” Riley said.  “What kind of metal do you want?”

“What are my choices?” Jack asked.

Riley read off the selections.  “Silver, platinum, titanium, gold, white gold, rose gold, palladium. . .”

Jack held up a hand.  “Okay, just stop.  Gold and silver I get, but what the hell are rose gold and palladium?”

Riley sighed in frustration.  “Maybe you should just pick something on Amazon.”

“They have engagement rings on Amazon?” Jack was amazed.  Was there anything they didn’t have?

“I’m sure,” Bozer said.  “They have everything,” he added, echoing Jack’s thoughts.

“Dude, I’m not getting Mac’s engagement ring on Amazon,” Jack said, adamantly.  “That just seems so cheap.”

“No, man, I bet they have some good stuff,” Bozer insisted.

“No, just no,” Jack said.

“So, what are you going to do?” Riley asked.  “You have to get Mac something.”

Jack sighed, defeated.  “I’ll think of something.”

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jack was still thinking at 3 am.  It was his turn to give Kelly her late night feeding, and he was using the time while she sucked on her bottle to brood.  Maybe Riley was right.  Maybe he should try Amazon.  What other choice did he have?

Carefully shifting Kelly to a carry hold, Jack made his way into the living room and booted up his laptop.  It was awkward while holding an infant, but he managed.  He brought up Amazon and typed “men’s engagement rings” one-handed.  10,000 results.  Okay, that was not helpful.  Narrowing department to “Wedding Rings” returned 2,000.  Still too many.  This wasn’t working.  Okay, maybe price would help.  His choices were under $100, $100-200, and over $200.  Well, he was definitely willing to spend more than $200; anything less seemed cheap.  So, just how much was he willing to spend?  After some thought, he typed “$250-500” in the box, then limited it to Prime.  Still 825.  Damn, this was impossible.

Kelly interrupted Jack’s thoughts by throwing her bottle on the ground, signaling she was done.  Jack shifted her to burp her, still staring at the screen.  “So, what do you think, Kelly,” he asked, “what would Daddy Mac like?”  She gave a satisfying burp in response.  Jack shifted her onto his lap and continued talking, as if a six-month-old would be of any help.  He scanned his options.  “White gold?  Yellow gold?  Silver?  There’s that damn rose gold again.”  He clicked on it just to see what it looked like.  Kelly spit up a small amount.  “Yeah, you’re right.  That won’t do.”  He hit the back button.  “So, what then?”

“Ya-ya,” Kelly said.

“Yellow it is.”  Okay, she was probably just making random noises, but Jack decided to take it as an answer.  300 some.  Better, but still too many.  “Okay, stone or no stone?”  Jack thought about it.  “Definitely a stone.  I don’t want it too plain.”  He clicked “diamond”.  “56.  I can deal with that.”  He scanned the results.  “Hey, I actually like some of these!”  He shouldn’t be so surprised, but he was starting to despair ever finding anything he liked.  He examined his choices.  He couldn’t decide—there were several he really liked.  “So, which one should I get?” he asked Kelly.  Jack clicked one.  “This one?”  He clicked another.  “Or maybe this one?”  Click.  “Or this?”  Jack went back to his search results.  He was about to click on a fourth when Kelly reached out for the screen.  Jack looked at what her little hand was touching.  It was a gold band with three diagonal stripes of white gold, the center of which had a row of diamonds.  “I like it,” Jack decided.  “You have good taste, darlin’”.  He placed the order, sending it to a PO Box under one of his aliases so Mac wouldn’t intercept it.  He hit enter to place the order, satisfied.  “Now, on to step two.”


	3. Proposal, Take 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack does it right.

Ring in hand, Jack was ready to plan the next part of Operation Propose to Mac: the actual proposal.  Riley had been adamant that Jack needed a romantic setting.  Problem was, Jack had no idea what the acceptable setting for this kind of thing was.  Any of his friends would tell you Jack sucked at romance, from using “Howdy” as a pick up line to romantic gestures (why should he get someone flowers?  They just died.  And women were always complaining about getting fat, so why should he buy chocolate?), to planning the perfect date.  Jack’s idea of the perfect date was the shooting range and a Die Hard marathon, and he was pretty sure that wasn’t going to fly with Mac.

So, Jack went back to Riley.  He turned a chair backward and plopped down next to Riley’s workstation.  “I need your help.”

“So what else is new?” Riley said.  “What this time?”

“I need to plan the perfect proposal,” Jack said.

“I’ll say,” Riley said.  “That last one sucked.  What did you have in mind?”

“I have no idea,” Jack confessed.  “I’ve never done this before.”

“Haven’t you ever watched a rom-com?” Riley asked.  She immediately answered her own question.  “Never mind, I forgot who I’m talking to.”

“So, what do I do?” Jack wanted to know.

“There’s lots of things you can do,” Riley said.  “You can take Mac out for a romantic dinner, you can cook one for him, you can take him for a moonlit stroll, or you could plan a picnic, and that’s just for starters.  Take your pick.”

Jack thought about it.  “I’m not the moonlit stroll or picnic type, so I guess it’s dinner.”

“Okay,” Riley said.  “Cook or go out?”

Jack gave it more thought.  “Cook, I guess.  That way, Kelly can be there.  I’m proposing to her, too, so I want her to be part of it.”

“That’s definitely romantic,” Riley said, approvingly.  “So, what are you going to cook?”

“That’s the problem,” Jack said.  “I’m a lousy cook.”

“Ask Bozer for help,” Riley suggested.  “After all, he is a chef.”

“Good idea,” Jack said.

His next stop was Bozer’s lab.  “Hey, Boze, I need a favor.”

Bozer looked up from the mask he was working on.  “Sure.  What can I do for you?”

“I want to cook Mac a romantic dinner, and I need recipes,” Jack said.

“No,” Bozer said, adamantly.

Jack was surprised.  “No?”

“Jack, you can barely boil water without burning it,” Bozer said.  “If you can’t heat it in the microwave, you can’t make it.  There’s no way I’m turning you loose in my kitchen.  You’d probably burn it down.”

Jack had to admit Bozer had a point.  Still, he wasn’t going to give up.  “You’ve got to help me, Boze,” he begged.  “I don’t know how to do this on my own.”

“Of course I’ll help you,” Bozer said.  “I’m such a nice guy, I’ll cook the meal for you.”

“Wouldn’t it be more romantic if I cook it myself?” Jack said.

“Not if you give Mac food poisoning,” Bozer replied.  “Trust me on this one.”

Jack did trust Bozer, and the man was a hell of a lot better cook than Jack.  The older man was confident Bozer would cook up a meal that was certain to wow Mac.  “You’re on,” Jack said.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jack surveyed the table.  He’d gone all out.  He’d been dismayed to discover they had no tablecloth, china, or silver, so he’d done the best he could.  Jack found a linen shop and bought a nice, white, hand-embroidered tablecloth from Mexico (it cost almost as much as the ring.  Well, okay, not really, but still, Jack didn’t think a piece of cloth could be that expensive).  Then he went to Target (okay, it was cheap, but it was the best Jack could do after the tablecloth) and gotten a nice set of ceramic dishes and the fanciest stainless steel flatware set he could find, which he then put back because let’s face it, Jack just wasn’t fancy.  He settled for a plainer set, but still a lot nicer than their everyday knives and forks.  Jack finished it off with candles in real silver candlesticks he lucked into at an estate sale a while back and picked up because his mother firmly believed everyone should have at least one piece of nice silver.  It certainly looked romantic to Jack.

Bozer had made a simple meat and potatoes meal, but he’d done it up right.  Beef burguignon (which sounded fancy to Jack, but was really just beef stew in a wine sauce) simmered on the stove, and the twice-baked potatoes were keeping warm in the oven.  Bozer had finished it off with steamed broccoli with garlic and parmesan and directed Jack in making a salad (chopping up vegetables was something the solider could handle—he had mad knife skills, after all).  Now, all Jack had to do was get him and Kelly cleaned up.

Jack got dressed first, figuring the less time Kelly had to get dirty again the better (he still couldn’t believe how fast babies could go from freshly scrubbed to covered from head to toe in whatever messy thing they could find).  He wanted to look nice but not too dressy (after all, they were staying home, not going out, so he didn’t feel like he had to pull out all the stops), so he selected black slacks, a long-sleeved black button-down, and a bright red skinny tie.  He nodded at himself approvingly in the mirror.  Now, time to dress Kelly.

Jack wanted to evoke happy family memories, so he dressed Kelly in the blue dress edged in daisies, the first dress they’d gotten her (okay, it was getting a little snug, and it wasn’t like she didn’t have tons of dresses now—Riley and Bozer seemed to buy every cute thing they came across, and Jack might be guilty of being her one or two—or six—himself, but the daisy dress was still his favorite).  He put the daisy headband on her and managed to get her to keep the cute little lace-edged socks on her feet long enough to put on the black patent shoes (were all babies incapable of wearing socks for more than two seconds?).  He lifted her in the air and examined her.  “Don’t you look pretty, darlin’?  We clean up pretty good, don’t we?  Daddy Mac will be so surprised.”

“Ga, ga,” Kelly gurgled.  Jack took that as agreement.

Jack deposited Kelly in her jumper, hoping that would keep her out of trouble (probably not—it was amazing what that kid could get into, even constrained like that) while he put the finishing touches on dinner.  As soon as Mac texted Jack he was on his way, Jack poured the wine, put Kelly in her high chair with a couple of spoons to amuse her (mainly by throwing on the floor for Jack to pick up), and waited.

When Mac’s car pulled up the drive, Jack opened the door for him and greeted the younger man with a kiss.  Mac returned it enthusiastically before pulling back and running his eyes up and down Jack.  “You’re all decked out.  What’s the occasion?”

“I wanted to cook a romantic dinner for you, that’s all.”

Mac looked horrified.  “You cooked?”

“Don’t worry.  Bozer did the actual cooking,” Jack was quick to assure his lover.  “You wash up, and I’ll get dinner on the table.”

“Sounds good.”  Mac left to do just that. 

Jack dished up the food (Bozer had even made a potato for Kelly, although the beef was definitely not suitable for kids) and waited for Mac to come back.  Jack let out a whistle when Mac reappeared dressed in gray slacks and a blue shirt that matched his eyes all topped off with a blue and gray striped tie.  “You look fantastic.”

“Thanks.  You got all dressed up, so I figured I should, too.”  Mac took his seat.  “This looks great.  I didn’t know we had all this stuff.”

“We didn’t,” Jack said, sitting down himself.  “I bought it.”

“I’m impressed,” Mac said.

“The dishes are from Target,” Jack confessed, “but the tablecloth is hand-embroidered in Mexico.”

“Nice,” Mac said. 

They ate their meal in silence, broken occasionally by appreciative moans from both men.  Jack was nervous the whole time, the ring burning a hole in his pocket.  Finally, they were finished (Kelly wearing most of hers).  Jack cleared the table and brought out the decadent chocolate cake Bozer had made for dessert.

“Wow, you really went all out,” Mac said.  “Dessert and everything.”

“I wanted tonight to be special,” Jack said.

“It is,” Mac assured him, “but I still don’t know why you went through all this trouble.”

“For this.”  Jack scooted Kelly’s high chair around until she was next to Mac.  The soldier pulled out the ring, opened the box, and got down on one knee.  “Mac and Kelly MacGyver, will you marry me?”

Mac’s face was blank.  Jack’s heart hammered in his chest, afraid the blond would turn him down.  It looked like he might when Mac said, tonelessly, “Is this about Kelly?  Because we went over this.”

“What?  No!” Jack said.  “I’m proposing to both of you because I want both of you in my life forever, no matter whether we adopt heror not.  I love you both so much.  I couldn’t live without you.”

Jack’s declaration was met with silence.  He still couldn’t read his lover’s (fiance’s?  Jack hoped) face.  After a minute, Jack couldn’t take the silence any longer.  “What do you say, Mac?  Yes or no?”

“Ya, ya!” Kelly said.  She banged on her tray, then held her arms up.  Jack picked her up.  “Is that a yes, darlin’?”  Kelly clapped her hands.  “I hoped you’d say that.”  He looked at Mac.  “Well, that’s one on board.  What about you?”

Mac broke into a huge grin.  He took the ring from Jack and slipped it on his finger.  “Now, this is what I call a proposal.  Of course I’ll marry you, Jack.”

Jack let out the breath his was holding and sent a silent thanks up to Riley and Bozer.  “Thank god.”  Mac jerked his head towards Kelly.  “Thank goodness,” Jack amended.

“Ga, ga,” Kelly agreed.


	4. Dresses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to pick out wedding attire. The boys are set, but they need something for Kelly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little bit of fluffy (and not just the dresses :) ) filler. :)

“I really don’t see why we have to do this,” Mac whined.  He stood in the middle of the bridal shop, surrounded by lace, ruffles, and beading.  He looked utterly out of place in his jeans and plain, dark green t-shirt.  “We already have tuxes.  At most, we just have to get ties and cummerbunds to match our color scheme, and I still say we can’t go wrong with black and white.”

“We’re not here for us,” Jack reminded him.  He flipped through a rack of child-sized dresses, Kelly in his arms.  “We need to find a dress for Kelly.”  Jack didn’t want to admit it, but he was at least as uncomfortable as Mac.  Bridal shops were way out of his depth.  But, it was for Kelly, and he’d endure anything, even dress shopping, for his daughter. 

“Can’t she wear one of the ones she already has?” Mac wanted to know.  “It’s not like she doesn’t have at least a dozen.”

Bozer was horrified at the thought.  He’d invited himself along when Mac and Jack announced they were going dress-shopping for Riley and Kelly.  The black man nearly dropped the frilly, pale pink monstrosity he was holding.  “Mac, she can’t wear one of those.  Those are so ordinary!  This has to be special!”

Mac seemed to know when he was outgunned.  He conceded the point, though not very graciously.  “Fine.  But not pink.  Either black or white.”

Now it was Riley’s turn to be horrified.  Her hand paused on the rack of bridesmaid dresses she was browsing.  “Kelly can’t wear black at a wedding.  That’s morbid!”

“You’re wearing black,” Mac pointed out.  It was one of the things she insisted on when she agreed to be a bridesmaid.

“That’s different,” Riley said.  “I’m an adult, and I look good in black.  Kelly’s a baby.  Besides, you said you wanted black and white.”

Jack’s head was spinning trying to follow Riley’s reasoning.  Mac looked a little lost, too.  Jack decided to bring them all back to business.  “White it is.”  He held up a white dress with a beaded bodice and a layered skirt.  “What do you think, Bozer?”

“What about me?” Mac complained.  “Don’t you want my opinion?”

“No,” Bozer said, firmly.  “No offense, Mac, but you are seriously fashion challenged.  You can barely dress yourself, let alone a baby girl.”  Bozer took the dress from Jack and carefully looked it over.  “No, the layers are overdone.  Kelly’s small.  She’ll drown in this dress.”

“So, you’re trusting Mr. 11 Metallica T-shirts over there?”  Mac was definitely not happy.

Bozer put the dress he was holding back and selected another one.  “No, we’re trusting me.  I think we all agree I’m the master of fashion here.”

It was true.  Bozer’s filmmaking experience had given him a good eye for costuming, and he’d easily proved the best at picking out outfits for Kelly.  Jack had to admit, if it were up to him, her closet would probably be a mass of pink everything.  It wasn’t that he liked pink that much; Jack just didn’t know what else to get.  Bozer expertly dressed Kelly in a wide range of pastels—including pink, much to Mac’s dismay.  In general, Mac and Jack were more than happy to leave dressing Kelly up to Bozer, for day to day as well as the wedding.  Jack was confident the aspiring filmmaker would pick out the perfect dress for Kelly.

It took nearly an hour and several near-disasters on Jack’s part (Mac cringed every time Jack picked out something that was mostly frills, and Bozer would quickly snatch it and put it back on the rack), but Bozer finally selected a white dress with puffy sleeves, a plain, satin skirt, and a bodice overlaid with lace in a daisy pattern.

“That’s perfect,” Jack said.  “What do you think, darlin’?” he asked Kelly.

“Ga, ga.”  She reached out her hands for the dress, but Bozer yanked it away.

“Ah, ah, no touching.  I love you, baby girl, but you’ve got the grubbiest hands I’ve ever seen,” Bozer said.

“That’s two votes,” Jack said.  “What about you, Mac?”  He held his breath, hoping for his fiancé’s approval.

Mac eyed it critically.  “I like it,” he said, finally.  “She can wear her daisy headband.”  Jack opened his mouth, but Mac held up a hand to stop him.  “No, Jack, we are not getting her one just for the wedding.  Besides, you know you love it.”

It was true.  It was Jack’s favorite.  “Okay,” he agreed.

“Great,” Riley said.  She motioned Bozer over.  “Now that that’s settled, help me pick out a dress.”  She held up one and made a face.  The sleeves were so poufy they nearly touched her ears, the bodice dripped with beads, and the short skirt was made of numerous tulle layers.  “I don’t see how anybody could wear some of these.”

“That is definitely not you,” Bozer agreed.  He put the dress back and began flipping through the rack.  He picked up a simple sheath with a ribbon right under the bust.  “How about this?” he suggested.  “It’s classic.”

“Too classic,” Jack said.  “I think my mother’s bridesmaids wore that dress.”

“Okay, then, we’ll find something else,” Bozer said.  Bozer finished flipping through that rack and started on another.  About halfway through, he found what he was looking for.  He held up a pale turquoise dress with spaghetti straps, a fitted bodice with a plunging neckline (though nothing too extreme; this was a family affair, after all), and a gathered skirt that fell from a simple ribbon tie.

Riley took it from him and held it up against her body.  She looked in one of the many full-length mirrors scattered throughout the shop.  “Make it black, and you’ve got a deal.”

Bozer looked at Mac and Jack.  “Well, what do you think?”

Jack didn’t know anything about women’s fashions, but it looked good to him.  “Yeah, that’s good.”

“Fine by me,” Mac agreed.

Bozer rubbed his hands together.  “Great.  Let’s get everybody measured and get out of here.  Who’s up for beer and pizza at our place?”

“Me!” they all chorused.

That was the best idea Jack had heard all day.


	5. Pictures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riley informs Mac and Jack engagement pictures are a must.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having trouble figuring out how I want the wedding scene to go, so you get 1400 words of fluffy filler. :)

“Now that you have a dress for Kelly,” Riley said casually as they left the shop, “you can get engagement pictures.”

 

Jack stopped dead, causing Bozer to bump into him. “What?!?”

 

“Hey, watch it!” Bozer said. “You can't just stop in the middle of the sidewalk!”

 

Riley kept walking as though she hadn't just dropped a bombshell. “Engagement pictures. You know, for the newspaper.”

 

Jack was speechless. Riley couldn't possibly be serious. “You're kidding, right?”

 

Riley finally stopped and turned to Jack. “What, don't you want pictures of you and Kelly?”

 

Mac seemed much more composed than Jack. How could he be so calm? “Of course we do, Riles,” he said, “but we don't need to put them in the newspaper. I seriously doubt anyone in the LA metropolitan area cares that Jack and I are getting married.”

 

“You don't have to put them in the paper,” Bozer said. “Put them on the wedding program. And maybe the favors. My cousin had these cool magnets with their picture and the date.”

 

Programs? Favors? This just kept getting better and better. Okay, yeah, Jack knew there was more to getting married than him, Mac, Riley and Bozer at city hall (Riley and Bozer had made that _very_ clear, hence the trip to the bridal shop), but he hadn't thought about all this. 

 

Mac was still taking it in stride. Jack was jealous of his composure. “I don't think we need programs or favors.”

 

It was Bozer's turn to be flabbergasted. “What? You can't have a wedding without favors!”

 

“Can't we just get personalized Jordan almonds?” Jack asked, desperately.

 

“Those are so boring,” Bozer said. “Don't you want something cool?”

 

Mac sighed. “We're not getting out of this, are we?”

 

“Nope,” Riley said, cheerfully. “I'll make the appointment.”

 

The day of the appointment came much too soon for Jack. Mac and Jack dressed in their tuxes and put Kelly in her dress. Jack had protested that. “Won't she get it dirty?”

 

“We can keep an eye on her,” Mac said. “It'll just be for an hour or so.”

 

Jack wasn't soothed. “Do you know how much trouble she can get into in an hour? Heck, it took her five minutes to get brownie batter all over herself when she was helping Bozer.”

 

“So, we'll keep her in her stroller or in our arms,” Mac had replied.

 

Jack was still doubtful, until Bozer spoke up. “Don't worry. It's washable. You don't think I would have gotten anything for a baby that wasn't washable,  do you? ”

 

Jack really couldn't argue with that. “Okay, fine.”

 

So it was that the whole wedding party, dressed in their finery, showed up at the portrait studio for pictures. Mac, bless him, had insisted that they get all the wedding pictures done in advance and skip the photographer at the actual wedding. They had to wait, and Kelly got fussy.

 

Jack picked her up. “Shhh, sweetheart, it's okay. Don't cry,” he  said . “We don't want you all red-faced in the pictures.”

 

It didn't help. Kelly's face scrunched up in a prelude to tears.

 

“Here.” Mac passed Jack Kelly's bottle of juice. “Give her some juice.”

 

Jack took it. “What happens if she spills it?”

 

“It's a bottle,” Mac said. “They don't spill.”

 

Jack was sure Kelly would find a way, but he gave it to her anyway. She sucked for a minute, then threw the bottle down.

 

Mac moved to catch it, and the top popped off, spilling apple juice down his front. “Damn...drat.” They still weren't quite used to watching their language around Kelly, but they tried.

 

“I told you so,” Jack said, smugly. Mac just glared at him.

 

“At least it wasn't cranberry juice,” Bozer pointed out, helpfully.

 

“Yeah, and it didn't land on Kelly,” Riley added.

 

“Not helping, guys,” Mac said, petulantly. He grabbed a burping cloth from Kelly's stroller and blotted at his shirt. “That'll have to do.”

 

Riley adjusted his jacket. “You look fine.”

 

Just then, the receptionist called them. They went into the studio, and the photographer lined them up. “Great, hold it right there.” The flash went off, and Kelly started crying.

 

“It's okay,” Jack said, bouncing her up and down. “It was just a flash.”

 

“I think it hurt her eyes,” Mac said.

 

“Sorry,” the photographer apologized. He adjusted the lights. “Let's try it now.”

 

Jack got Kelly down to watery hiccups. The photographer took another picture. This time, Kelly barely flinched. “See, darlin',” Jack said. “That wasn't so bad.”

 

The photographer took a few more shots of the whole party, then some of Mac, Jack, and Kelly.

 

“Okay, let's get some of just the grooms,” he said.

 

Jack passed Kelly to Riley. She clearly didn't like that. “No!”

 

Jack immediately reached for her, but Riley held her back. “It's okay, sweetheart, Daddy Jack will be right back.”

 

Kelly wasn't convinced, nose scrunching up again. Bozer came to the rescue with Kelly's stuffed tiger. “Look, Kelly, it's Stripes.” Bozer held it in front of his face. “Don't cry, Kelly,” he said in a growly voice.

 

Kelly's face lit up, and she reached for the tiger. Bozer handed it to her, and she happily started chewing on its ear. Jack sighed in relief. Crisis averted.

 

Pictures of Jack and Mac went without further incident. “Okay, now just Kelly.”

 

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Jack asked, doubtfully. He and Mac had discussed it, both agreeing they did want formal pictures of Kelly (not to mention Bozer and Riley, especially Riley, who practically begged for a picture of Kelly for her wallet), but given how things had gone so far, Jack wasn't sure how this would go.

 

“It'll be fine, Jack,” Mac reassured him. “Just put her down.”

 

Jack reluctantly set Kelly down on the black cloth covering the floor and moved away. He hadn't gotten three feet before she let out a wail. He immediately moved back. “Don't cry, sweetheart, please don't cry,” he practically begged.

 

“Try the tiger again,” the photographer suggested. Jack did, and Kelly quieted, chewing on Stripes' ear.

 

“Can you get her to stop chewing it?” the photographer asked.

 

“Probably not,” Jack said, but he tried anyway, gently pulling it out of her mouth. She didn't put it back, just stared at Jack.

 

“Good. Now, see if you can get her to smile,” the photographer instructed.

 

“Kelly, look!” Jack said. He made a funny face. Kelly just stared.

 

Mac pointed at Jack, who was still making faces. “Isn't Daddy Jack funny?” More staring. 

 

Jack gave an exaggerated sigh, sinking down to the floor. He landed on the diaper bag and leapt up again, rubbing his rear. “Ouch!”

 

Kelly laughed, and the photographer began snapping pictures.

 

Kelly mostly cooperated after that, although there were a couple of moments, like when she hurled the tiger at the photographer, or when she tipped over and almost started crying again, but they got it done. 

 

When they were finished, the group gathered around the computer to look at the pictures.

 

“These are great!” Riley exclaimed. She got to the one that was mostly a blur of tiger flying through the air. “Well, most of them.”

 

Mac chuckled. “We don't have to get that one.” He selected one of Kelly smiling and clapping her hands at something Jack did (or maybe Mac, but probably Jack; he was the funny-looking one, as Mac always teased him). “I like this one.”

 

“Yeah.” Jack selected a couple of others. “These, too.”

 

“That's enough of Kelly,” Riley declared. “Let's get some of you and us.”

 

Together, they agreed on a picture of the whole party, plus a nice one of Mac and Jack holding hands and gazing into each others' eyes. The two men couldn't resist one of them kissing, though that wasn't for anyone except them. They ignored Riley and Bozer's awwwws and requests for copies. “Nope, this is just ours,” Mac said.

 

The four adults and Kelly went to grab a snack while they waited for the pictures to be ready (after getting Kelly out of her dress and into a onesie—no sense tempting fate). They came back after an hour to look at the pictures.

 

“Perfect,” Riley declared.

 

“We do clean up pretty well,” Jack said.

 

“See, that wasn't so bad,” Bozer said.

 

“Maybe not,” Mac said, “but I'm not doing that again any time soon.”

 

Jack wholeheartedly agreed.


	6. Ceremony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The big day is finally here.

The strains of Cantina Band from Star Wars started playing as Riley and Bozer made their way down the aisle. Riley looked elegant in her simple black dress, and Bozer was dashing in his tux (though not as dashing as the grooms, as Jack was quick to point out). They reached the front and turned, signaling the guests to rise as the main theme from Star Wars began.

 

Jack and Mac marched down the aisle, side by side, Kelly in Mac’s arms. From their beaming faces, you’d never guess that the choice of marches had almost caused them to elope. It was only Riley and Bozer’s disappointed faces and fervent pleas that prevented that.

 

The one thing they agreed on was no “Here Comes the Bride”. After that, agreement was impossible. Mac immediately vetoed any metal, though Jack insisted there were suitable songs. Jack refused any of the classics, like the march from Midsummer Night’s Dream or Pachibel’s Canon. Ode to Joy and Vivaldi’s Spring got vetoed by both of them as too trite.

 

From there, Jack suggested movie themes. That actually had possibilities, although Mac immediately vetoed the Die Hard theme. Concerning Hobbits from Lord of the Rings got serious consideration, as did Storybook Love from Princess Bride, but neither was quite right. Bozer suggested the James Bond theme, but Mac and Jack both felt that hit too close to home. It was when the group took a break from wedding planning to binge watch Star Wars that they realized that was the perfect music. “’Cause we’re Han and Luke, buddy,” Jack said.

 

Now that the big day was finally here, Mac and Jack couldn’t understand how they had ever considered anything else. They proceeded to where Riley and Bozer were waiting with the judge (a friend of Matty’s, naturally. Was there anyone that woman didn’t know?). That had been another point of contention. Jack, raised Christian, wanted a church wedding, but Mac refused. “That’s just not me. I’m all about science, not religion,” he said. It hadn’t taken much for Jack to agree to a civil ceremony, especially when Mac pointed out that’s what they’d get at City Hall.

 

The judge was appropriately somber as Mac, Jack, and Kelly stood before them. “We are gathered here today to join this family in matrimony, to celebrate not just the bonds of man to man, but of a family. Mac and Jack have requested that their daughter, Kelly, be included in the ceremony.”

 

Jack recited his vows first. “Mac, we may have gotten off on the wrong foot, but it didn’t take long for you to get under my skin. 64 days to be exact.” Everybody who knew their story chuckled at that. “It took a few more years to realize you were the love of my life, but by then it was already clear I wasn’t leaving your side in sickness and in health, and there were a lot of trips to the hospital, let me tell you.” Another round of laughter. “Then, Kelly came into our life unexpectedly.” Only their closest friends knew how true that was; most thought Kelly was the product of an accident with a girlfriend of Mac’s before he and Jack even got together. “From that moment, I knew she had to be part of our little family. I knew before then I wanted to make it official, but that only made it all the more obvious.”

 

Mac was teary-eyed as he started his own vows. “Jack, there’s no way I can top that. You always say when we go out, we’ll go out together, and there’s nothing I want more. And I want Kelly to be our daughter, yours and mine, in her sickness and health as well as ours. I promise to stand by you both through thick and thin til death do us part.”

 

“The rings please.” Riley and Bozer stepped forward at the judge’s words. Jack once again went first. “Jack Dalton, do you take Angus and Kelly MacGyver to be your lawfully wedded husband and your daughter?”

 

“I do,” Jack said as he slipped the ring on Mac’s finger, his own eyes moist with tears.

 

Mac was openly crying as his turn came. “Angus and Kelly MacGyver, do you take Jack Dalton to be your lawfully wedded husband and your father?”

 

“Ya-ya,” Kelly said on cue. Mac and Jack grinned through their tears. They hadn’t expected that, but the infant’s timing was perfect.

 

“Well, Mac, what about you?” Jack asked.

 

“I do,” Mac said with what felt like the biggest grin of his life.

 

“I now pronounce you a family. You may now kiss.”

 

Jack swept Mac into a passionate kiss, only backing off when Kelly started protesting, probably because she was being squished in Jack’s enthusiasm. “Sorry, darlin’,” he apologized. He dropped a kiss on her head, Mac following suit. “You’re now part of the family, too.”

 

The audience rose as one, giving the new family a standing ovation. Mac and Jack turned to face them. Kelly clapped her hands in imitation. All three had huge grins on their faces. It was official. They were a family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not completely satisfied with the ending, but there's really nowhere to go from here. I thought about writing the reception, but it would just be anticlimactic fluff (okay, there's nothing wrong with that, but it just seemed right to end it here).
> 
> A note on timing: In my head, Mac and Jack have been together probably about 2 years, well before when Kelly would have been conceived, but they kept it quiet for various reasons. Most people were only starting to find out after the time Kelly would have been conceived, and a lot didn't even really know until Kelly came into the picture. So, they were able to get away with the timeline that Kelly was conceived just before they got together. It helps to be a professional liar. :)

**Author's Note:**

> I really didn't mean to pick names from 80's sitcoms. :)


End file.
